EP Wealth Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 23,428 Aflac Incorporated $AFL

EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,428 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,747,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aflac during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in Aflac in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Aflac in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in Aflac in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Aflac

Here are the key news stories impacting Aflac this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Aflac’s quarterly dividend is $0.61 per share, or $2.44 annualized, providing a yield of roughly 2.1%. The company has a long record of dividend growth and a relatively low payout ratio of about 26%, supporting its appeal as a defensive income stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings were mixed: quarterly revenue of $4.22 billion exceeded analyst expectations of $4.11 billion, but earnings per share of $1.75 narrowly missed the $1.76 consensus. Revenue declined 1% year over year and EPS fell from $1.78 in the prior-year quarter, limiting fundamental momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s overall view remains cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target near $116.62. Some analysts remain constructive, including Piper Sandler with a $138 target, while others maintain neutral or underweight ratings.
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage with an “underperform” rating and a $103 price target, implying meaningful downside from recent trading levels. The call adds to existing concerns from Barclays and JPMorgan, which also have cautious ratings or targets. Wolfe Research Starts Aflac at Underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Japan Post Holdings, Aflac’s major shareholder, sold another 12,700 shares on August 19 for approximately $1.49 million, following sales of 14,200 shares on August 18 and 13,900 shares on August 17. The transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represent only a small reduction in its stake, but the repeated selling may weigh on investor sentiment. Aflac SEC Insider Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AFL. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Aflac from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Mizuho set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Aflac in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aflac presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $116.62.

Insider Transactions at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares in the company, valued at $6,044,133,662.20. This trade represents a 0.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 497,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,356,483. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of AFL opened at $116.12 on Friday. Aflac Incorporated has a 12-month low of $104.66 and a 12-month high of $130.22. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $116.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $58.22 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.01). Aflac had a net margin of 26.91% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.78 earnings per share. Aflac's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.15%.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac's product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.

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